Published: 04 Jul 2017 Source: University Relations Office (URO)
The Africa Quality Rating Mechanism (AQRM) under the auspices of the Association of African Universities (AAU) paid a verification visit to Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, to have first-hand information about the facilities of KNUST.
The AQRM team was led by Professor Jonathan Mba of the Association of African Universities while the KNUST team was led by the Vice-Chancellor and Professor S.I.K Ampadu who is the chairman of the KNUST team for the Africa Quality Rating Mechanism (AQRM). After exchanging pleasantries and introduction of members of the two teams, the AQRM team disclosed that as part of the mechanisms to rate the selected Universities, the AQRM team needed to visit each of the selected Universities to assess and rate them accordingly.
The visit by the AQRM team was therefore as a result of the fact that KNUST was one of the Universities which had been selected to participate in the Africa Quality Rating Mechanism. The visit was to build on the quality of African higher education to enable African Universities to remain locally relevant and internationally competitive. The visit was to afford them the opportunity to look at the strengths, challenges and opportunities in each of the selected Universities so as to help them build on the strengths and find ways of minimising the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities to re-position the University on the international stage.
As part of their assignment, the AQRM Verification Mission team visited departments, inspected facilities and laboratories and interacted with the KNUST team. The AQRM team was impressed with what they saw at the university especially in areas such as the MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program at KNUST, the Herbal Medicine Programme, the Doctor of Pharmacy Programme and some specialised laboratories. The team therefore congratulated the Vice-Chancellor and the KNUST team for what they saw. The AQRM team recommended to management of the University to look at how the library, the UITS and the Institute of Distance Learning can work in tandem to facilitate the use of e-books and technology in general to enhance teaching, learning and research at the University. The AQRM team also suggested to management to consider making the Quality Assurance and Planning Unit (QAPU) of the University a Directorate with the full complement of staff to enable it to better play its role of ensuring quality education delivery at the University. Management was further advised to team up with industry to develop a science park to provide an interface between industry and academia to open the University to the benefits that come through such collaborations.
The team expressed satisfaction with the reception and support and cooperation from the KNUST team. On his part, the Vice-Chancellor thanked the team for finding the KNUST worthy of consideration for the AQRM and assured them that the University had taken note of their suggestions and would do everything in its power to achieve the laudable objectives of the African Quality Rating Mechanism.